The Prince and

the Pauper
Mark Twain
(1882)
Presented by Julie Pham and Thuc Nguyen
About the author: Mark Twain
Born: November 30, 1835
Died: April 21, 1910
Influence:
1st attempt at historical fiction
Age controlled by nobility and royalty, that
influenced him to focus on social injustice
Published 30+ books
"Huckleberry Finn" = 5th most frequently challenged
book (US, American Library Association)
Wrote under Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass for
humorous pieces (Keokuk Post)
Characters:
Prince Edward Tudor of Wales(rich kid):
Feels trapped and wants freedom
Tom Canty(poor kid): Wants royalty
King Henry VIII: Edward's dad
John Canty: Tom's father, sees Tom as an
"investment"
Canty Family: Serves themselves to protect
Tom
Miles Hendon: Edward's mentor
Characters Relationships
Edward to Tom: Siblings
* different perspectives/dreams that
merge
Edward to King Henry: Loving
father/son
* son's treatment vs. others, vice versa
Tom to John (father) & Grandmother:
Abusive job
* Tom = servant, means of getting
money
Tom to Bet/Nan/Mother: Loving
family
* caring
Tom to Father Andrew:
Student/Teacher
* mentor, teaches him
manners
Edward to Miles: Good
friends
* Miles = protector, skeptical
at first of prince's identity
Themes
Appearance and Identity:
the way you present yourself is how
you would be treated
Different Perspectives:
understanding another person's
lifestyle and surroundings
Environmental Determinism
environment is responsible for the
behavior of a person
Setting/Plot:
Setting: Pudding Lane, London, castle, slums, mile's estate, barn
Circa 16th century
Climax: Tom and Prince Edward first meet and decide to trade clothes
Plot:
Tom = poor kid, Edward = prince and both exchange places
Tom = adjusts to being prince in very slow manner
Edward = difficulties in adjusting to civilian life
Edward meets Tom's family, has to run away from John Canty
Tom realizes difficulty of being royalty, Edward realizes difficulty of being
peasant
Edward befriends Miles Hendon but gets captured by John; momentarily
stays with John's groupies (finding out about social inequalities) before
being rescued by Miles
Miles brings Edward to estate, turns out Brother Hendon is a con man;
Miles and Edward get thrown in jail (they escape back to royal court)
Tom is about to be crowned, Edward proves his identity, everyone receives
their dues
Social/Political/Philosophical Aspects
Inspiration: The Little Duke (Charlotte M. Yonge)
"My idea is to afford a realizing sense of the exceeding
severity of the laws of that day by inflicting some of their
penalties upon the King himself and allowing him a chance
to see the rest of them applied to others. All of this is to
account for certain mildness which distinguished Edward
VI's reign from those that preceded and followed it."
Stylistic Devices
Novel, 33 chapters (with Conclusion chapter)
Protagonists: Tom Canty, Edward Tudor
Antagonist: John Canty
Climax: Chapter 32 (coronation ceremony) when Edward interrupts by
declaring his identity
Outcome/Resolution: Edward is recognized and crowned King, Tom is made
King's Ward, and Miles is given back their titles and land (other characters
receive what they deserve)
Mood: Serious (England under reign of autocratic ruler Henry VIII)
Genre: Historical fiction, social/political satire (condemnation of inequality
that existed between classes in Tudor England/exercise of power by a king)
Most elaborately plotted novel (Great Seal of England's importance; Tom's
knowledge of Latin and pretense of a king in his younger years)
Critical Commentary
Bryce Arghiere of The University of North Carolina states in
"Mark Twain's Writing During his Last Twenty Years: The
Conflicts of a Moralist":
"In The Prince and the Pauper, The Adventures of Huckleberry
Finn, The Tragedy of Puddnhead Wilson (1894), and even
many of his works from 1895 onwards, Twain questions and
criticizes cruel and immoral social practices and patterns in
human behavior."